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ENGLAND TOURISM GUIDE (THE NORTH OF ENGLAND)

Cumbria Tourist Board (tel: (01539) 444 444; fax: (01539) 444 041; e-mail: info@golakes.co.uk; website: www.golakes.co.uk). North West Tourist Board (tel: (01942) 821 222; fax: (01942) 820 002; website: www.visitnorthwest.com). Northumbria Tourist Board (tel: (0191) 375 3010; e-mail: ttinfo@onenortheast.co.uk; website: www.ntb.org.uk).

Covering Cheshire, County Durham, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Northumberland, Teesside, Tyne & Wear and Yorkshire.

In the southern and eastern areas of the region lie sprawling industrial heartlands, but these are surrounded by some of England’s most sparsely populated and, arguably, most beautiful, countryside. The Lake District is the best known of the English National Parks – but there are three more in the region as well: Northumberland, the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales.

The coastline is often spectacular, particularly in north Yorkshire and northern Northumberland, while the North Pennines is as wild as English countryside can get. All this contrasts starkly with the great industrial power-houses of south and west Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Tyne & Wear and east Lancashire. However, even in the cities, the unique character and heritage of the North Country shines through. This is also a region containing many reminders of England’s convoluted racial and religious heritage. The Romans left 1800-year-old Hadrian’s Wall to posterity, place names are often of ninth-century Viking origin, and the importance of the Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria to the development of Christianity in England is underlined at Durham City and on Holy Island.

Cheshire

Chester, the county town, is famous for being full of pretty black and white timber-framed buildings. The city dates from Roman times, as do parts of its otherwise Medieval city walls. Remains of a 7000-seat Roman amphitheater stand outside the centre, whose star attraction is The Rows, large double-deck buildings housing shops. The city has numerous notable timbered houses, including 17th-century God’s Providence House and Bishop Lloyd’s House. Chester Zoo is a major attraction, as is the unusual Cathedral with its detached bell-tower. The Deva Roman Experience recreates Roman life in Chester.

In the surrounding county, significant towns include Northwich, where the Salt Museum tells the story of Cheshire salt mining, and Nantwich, where visitors can descend into the Hack Green ‘Secret’ Nuclear Bunker. Nearby, Stapely Water Gardens is the world’s biggest attraction of its type. The scenery around Alderley Edge is noteworthy, while close to Macclesfield, Jodrell Bank Science Center and Observatory is a major visitor attraction. Quarry Bank Mill, at Wilmslow, is an important industrial heritage site, recreating the 18th-century textile industry of the area.

Lancashire

Lancaster is the main centre in this county – echoes of its Georgian heyday as a major port remain along the historic St George’s Quay, whose palladian-style Customs House is now home to the Lancaster Maritime Museum. The city centre architecture reflects the wealth of two centuries ago. Norman Lancaster Castle, owned by the Queen in her role as Duke of Lancaster, and still containing a working prison despite being open to visitors, stands beside the attractive Priory Church of St Mary on Castle Hill. The Ashton Memorial, a huge folly, dominates the skyline on the east of the city. Immediately west of Lancaster are traditional seaside resort attractions at Morecambe, while in the surrounding countryside, the beautiful Lune Valley has inspired artists and poets through the ages, including Turner and Wordsworth. Further inland, the Pendle Witches Trail takes visitors on the path of grisly 17th-century events. Blackpool, further down the Lancashire coast, is one of England’s biggest seaside resorts, famous for its Eiffel-like Tower, its trams and the Blackpool Pleasure Beach amusement park.

Greater Manchester

Although dominated by one of England’s biggest cities, the administrative area of Greater Manchester incorporates rural areas on the western slopes of the Pennine Hills, along with smaller industrial towns that grew up during the Industrial Revolution.

In Manchester itself, there are numerous major attractions, including the Granada Studios Tour, home of the popular television program, ‘Coronation Street’. There is a new branch of the Imperial War Museum beside the Manchester Ship Canal in the Trafford area of the city. Manchester United Football Club is famous around the world, and guided tours of its Old Trafford stadium are available. The world’s oldest passenger railway station now houses the Museum of Science and Industry, while the Manchester Jewish Museum occupies a restored 18th-century synagogue. Manchester is also renowned for its vibrant and lively nightlife and abundance of shops, including the enormous Trafford Centre, which lies just outside Manchester's city centre.

Outside Manchester, Wigan boasts one of the north’s most popular attractions in Wigan Pier – a recreation of Victorian life based around a large canal basin, and incorporating a number of individual museums and other attractions. Elsewhere in the county, the restored Elizabethan Old Grammar School at Rochdale is an unusual attraction.

Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a region of large industrial cities, beautiful countryside, rugged castles, stately homes and ancient churches. Its prime visitor attraction is, of course, York.. In West Yorkshire is the huge Leeds/Bradford conurbation. Bradford is famous for its large Asian community, and this (and the food) is an attraction in itself, while The National Museum of Film, Photography and Television is the city’s prime cultural draw with one of the first IMAX cinema screens. At Leeds, the Royal Armouries exhibition, Tetley Brewery Visitor Centre, West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Thackeray Medical Museum are all good reasons to spend time in the city. Wakefield’s Caphouse Colliery houses the National Mining Museum. Close by are the wild moors of the Pennines where the Brontë sisters lived in Haworth. At Halifax, Eureka! is a major children’s attraction. The Yorkshire Dales National Park is popular year round. Its landscape is that of the books and TV series featuring vet James Herriot, set at Askrigg, in Wensleydale. Walking is a popular pastime in this area.

Historic castles abound in the region, including the great fortresses of Middleham and Richmond; the latter associated with Richard III. Bolton Castle in Wensleydale once imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots, while Pontefract Castle in West Yorkshire was scene of Richard II’s murder in 1400. Great houses are also a highlight, notably Castle Howard, near Malton, famous as the setting for the TV adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited. Others include Burton Constable Hall, Duncombe Park, Harewood House, Nostell Priory and Sledmere House.

Maritime East Yorkshire has powerful links with Britain’s seafaring traditions. Hull is a major working port, recently transformed by waterfront developments, while majestic Humber Bridge is an attraction in its own right. Beyond Hull is the gentle lowland area of Holderness, which ends in the bird sanctuary at Spurn Point. To the north lies the ancient market town of Beverley, with Georgian houses in the shadow of the Minster. Close by is a racecourse and the Museum of Army Transport. The North York Moors National Park has miles of open moorland with picturesque villages nestling in hollows. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway, starting at Pickering, is just one of several steam railways in Yorkshire – others include the Embsay Steam Railway at Skipton and the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

On the coast, family resorts include Bridlington and Scarborough, which have added a number of attractions, such as Bridlington’s popular Leisure World Complex. There are also many smaller resorts, each with their own special character, like Whitby with its busy harbour and ruined clifftop Abbey, which inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Robin Hood’s Bay, south of Whitby, is a famous beauty spot.

Between the coast and the Vale of York lie The Wolds, a range of rolling hills with villages and quiet lanes, ideal for walking or cycling. On their fringe is Malton, one of many interesting towns in the region – others of note include Harrogate, Ilkley, Selby, Skipton and Thirsk.

Merseyside

In the 1960s, The Beatles put Liverpool firmly on the tourism map, and their fame still brings visitors from all over the world. Attractions include the Mersey Ferry, which plies the river between Birkenhead and Liverpool, and the restored Albert Dock complex, containing The Beatles Story, the Maritime Museum, the Museum of Liverpool Life and the Tate Gallery. Outside the city, the elegant resort of Southport lies to the north, Aintree Race Course (home of the Grand National) is close to Bootle, and Port Sunlight, an historic model village, is on the Wirral Peninsula. The World of Glass is St Helens’ main attraction.

Teesside

An industrial area centered on Middlesbrough, whose most famous son was James Cook; the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum tells his story. Coastal towns include Redcar, Saltburn and Hartlepool, with its maritime museum, restored historic ships and marina. Teesside’s industrial history dates from the early-19th century (the world’s first passenger train steamed into Stockton-on-Tees in 1825). Towns of interest include Marske, Guisborough and Upleatham, with reputedly the smallest church in England.

Cumbria

The Lake District forms the central area of Cumbria. The rest of the county consists of three main sections: the north and east (former Westmorland), which rises with the high North Pennine Hills towards Northumberland and County Durham, the Irish Sea coastline and the southern peninsulas. Just south of the Scottish Border is the 2000-year-old cathedral city of Carlisle, close to Hadrian’s Wall and once a Roman camp. Red sandstone Carlisle Castle is a major landmark in the city, which has strong associations with the Border Reivers of Medieval times. Their story, along with other local interests, is a central feature of the innovative Tullie House Museum and Gallery.

South of Carlisle lies the attractive market town of Penrith, to whose east the country rapidly rises across Alston Moor to historic Alston in the North Pennines, a former lead-mining centre. Set in the heart of an area of outstanding natural beauty, Alston is popular with walkers and cyclists who enjoy spectacular views from nearby Hartside Crag (which, in turn, boasts the highest cafe in England). The town also has the country’s highest narrow gauge railway, and nearby are the former lead mines of Nenthead, now open to visitors.

On the coastline, the once important 18th-century trading port of Whitehaven today preserves an echo of former glories in its Georgian buildings. The region also has several coastal resorts such as Maryport, Silloth and St Bees, south of which is the controversial Sellafield reprocessing plant, and its Visitor Centre. The Ravenglass and Eskdale narrow-gauge railway is a pleasant means to reach the Lake District from the coast.

In south Cumbria, the shipbuilding town of Barrow-in-Furness has an excellent Docks Museum, while nearby Ulverston is famous as the birthplace of comic Stan Laurel, and offers the Laurel and Hardy Museum. To the east, Grange-over-Sands is a classic seaside resort overlooking Morecambe Bay – close to Grange are stately home Holker Hall and the preserved Lakeland and Haverthwaite Railway.

County Durham

Durham, from where Prince Bishops once ruled the North in the King’s name, surrounds Durham City with its Castle, now part of the city’s university, and magnificent Norman Cathedral. They overlook a horseshoe bend in the River Wear from their spectacular position atop a rocky outcrop. The cathedral contains the tombs of two important Northumbrian figures: St Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede. The historic city centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The surrounding countryside, once a major coalfield, is often very beautiful, with market towns like Bishop Auckland and Barnard Castle among the highlights. The Bowes Museum, Raby Castle, and Beamish, the North of England Open Air Museum attract many thousands of visitors to the county. There are several castles, in varying degrees of preservation. Bishop Auckland is an ancient market town, and there is a 325 hectare (800 acre) deer park close by. Auckland Castle is the official residence of the Bishops of Durham. In the nearby village of Escomb, seventh-century Escomb Saxon Church is one of the oldest such buildings still in use.

Also within the county is part of the wild North Pennines, and scenic Weardale and Teesdale, which contains England’s highest waterfall, High Force. Close to the Cumbrian border in the North Pennines district is Killhope Lead Mine, where visitors can take underground mine tours. Darlington, which made its name in the 19th century with the world’s first passenger railway to nearby Stockton, has a famous railway museum. There are many other attractive towns and villages throughout County Durham, and good walking in the hills and moors.

Tyne & Wear

Tyne & Wear spans the mouths of the two major rivers in its name. Newcastle-upon-Tyne has excellent city center shopping, museums, theaters, hotels, restaurants and an almost legendary nightlife. There is also St Nicholas’ Cathedral and the Norman Castle Keep from which the city takes its name. Modern attractions include the Discovery Museum, the interactive Centre for Life and the Baltic Mill modern art gallery. Hadrian’s Wall began at Wallsend, location of the recently opened Segedunum Roman Fort attraction, and parts are still visible in the city.

Across the river are Gateshead with its massive Metro Centre indoor shopping and South Shields, home of the late author Catherine Cookson, and the Arbeia Roman Fort visitor attraction. Sunderland stands at the mouth of the River Wear and nearby is Washington, famous as the original home of US President George Washington’s family. Christian heritage comes to the fore at Tynemouth Priory and Jarrow (home of the Venerable Bede) where Bede’s World tells his story.

Northumberland

Northumberland, lying between the Scottish border and Tyne & Wear, is a large, rural county with many attractive villages and market towns. Its most famous landmark is Hadrian’s Wall. Built in the second century AD, it marks the Roman Empire’s northernmost border. Along the wall, numerous Roman forts and settlements are open to public view.

Medieval castles, including massive Bamburgh, craggy Alnwick and Dunstanburgh characterize the countryside, which was long an area of Anglo/Scots conflict. In contrast, ecclesiastical buildings on Lindisfarne (Holy Island) and at Hexham reflect the important role Northumbria played in establishing English Christianity. Hexham is a good base from which to explore the whole Northumbrian region. Much of the county is a National Park, with rolling moorland stretching from the North Sea to the Cheviot Hills on the Scottish border. England’s most northerly town,

Berwick-upon-Tweed, was a regular casualty in border battles, and changed hands between Scotland and England at least 13 times. Its Medieval town walls are among Europe’s best preserved. Today, the town is a good base for touring northern Northumberland and the Borders. Close to the Scottish Border, Kielder Water reservoir is Europe’s biggest manmade lake and offers a wide range of activity pursuits.